Global Macro / Markets / Investing:
- The pillars of prosperity that supported 30 years of growth have crumbled. Now the world has to cope with inflation, labor shortages and geopolitical unrest – Bloomberg
- Rolls-Royce Sales Hit Record As Rich Splurged On Luxury While Everyone Else Crushed By Inflation – ZH
- The world economy is beginning the new year on a more optimistic note, though that’s no guarantee 2023 will end that way – Bloomberg
- Officials from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund are declining to testify and help Elon Musk’s defense at his upcoming trial against Tesla investors – Bloomberg
- Bitcoin remains the most polluting cryptocurrency in 2022 while Ethereum massively reduced emissions: report – SCMP
Americas:
- Falling birth rate in the U.S. is not due to less desire to have children — young Americans haven’t changed the number of children they intend to have in decades, study finds. Young people’s concern about future may be delaying parenthood. – OSU
- Brazil Congress: Bolsonaro supporters inside palace enabled riot – Lula – BBC (sounds familiar…)
- Anti-ESG drive in U.S. could have cost taxpayers up to $708 mln – Reuters
- Even brushing up against a federal government default would be a major market event. Just recall what happened during the 2011 debt-ceiling standoff – Project Syndicate
- U.S. consumer prices fell in December amid declining prices for gasoline and motor vehicles, but rents remained very high and utilities were more expensive – Reuters
- President Biden confronts a ballooning political problem that threatens to hamstring his agenda and blunt the momentum – WaPo
- Attorney General Merrick Garland announces special counsel to oversee Biden documents probe – CBS
- Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders Bans Critical Race Theory in K–12 – Yahoo (the first five words of this article title are as ridiculous as the last!)
- People in Alabama can be prosecuted for taking abortion pills, state attorney general says – CBS (wow…)
Europe:
- Huge deposits of rare earth elements discovered in Sweden – Politico
- German economy weathering hard winter but risks loom – IBT
- All-out drone war in Ukraine points to future – IBT
- Over 70,000 university staff in Britain to strike for 18 days over pay – Reuters
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for a wide-ranging reform of the euro-area bailout fund to make it more effective in supporting the bloc’s economies – Bloomberg
Asia:
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- Japanese Prime Minister Kishida will seek public support for his robust new security strategy from President Biden at their summit – Bloomberg
- Analysts say Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi Heavy’s stock stands at a crossroads, with some investors making longer-term bets that ongoing reorganization will yield benefits down the road – Nikkei Asia
- China is in the middle of what may be the world’s largest covid-19 outbreak after authorities abruptly loosened almost three years of strict pandemic restrictions – WaPo
- China–Russia trade has reached 1.28 trillion yuan ($190 billion) in 2022, hitting a new high and showing a steady growth – GlobalTimes
- China’s annual trade surplus hit a record high in 2022 in yuan terms, as surging exports through the first half of the year offset a global drop-off in demand – Bloomberg
- Bangladesh’s sensational growth story masks some concerning structural weaknesses that are now coming into play – The Diplomat
- Japanese airports and tourist spots are not seeing significant numbers of tourists from China after the country relaxed its travel restrictions – NikkeiAsia
- Bank of Korea raises rates to 14-year high of 3.5% – NikkeiAsia
Trans-Tasman:
- Property investors are eying off houses rather than apartments as prices fall – AFR
- Default passwords would be banned and a new labelling scheme developed under a regime to toughen cyber protections for consumer devices connected to the internet. – AFR
- Two senior NSW ministers have publicly backed the premier after he admitted to wearing a Nazi costume at his 21st birthday party – AFR
- NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet digs in as Nazi costume storm intensifies – ABC News
- Australia withdraws from cricket series against Afghanistan due to Taliban restrictions on women’s sport – ABC
- Maori tribe urges auction house Sotheby’s to return treasured relics going under the hammer – MSN
Other:
- Exxon Scientists Predicted Global Warming, Even as Company Cast Doubts, Study Finds. Starting in the 1970s, scientists working for the oil giant made remarkably accurate projections of just how much burning fossil fuels would warm the planet. – NYT
- PC shipments saw their largest decline ever last quarter – Engadget
- People with diabetes struggle to find Ozempic as it soars in popularity as a weight loss aid – NBCNews
- Archaeologists believe they found the temple of Poseidon in Greece – Jpost